The He Zhiyuan 何志渊
Paul PengShare
He Zhiyuan was a figure of the early Yuan Dynasty.
His ancestral home was Langcheng (an ancient place name, exact location to be verified); later, he became part of a branch of Xijiang Jiede Hall (a Taoist institution). His courtesy name was Dongfu, and his Taoist title was "Qingzhenzi" (Master of Pure Truth).
According to Records of Ruicheng County: From childhood, He Zhiyuan studied Confucian classics. During a period of war, he returned north. In the 9th year of the Yuan Taizong era (1237), when the imperial court held the Gongju (ancient imperial examination for selecting officials) in Pingyang, He Zhiyuan took the exam and ranked first in the top tier (Jia Ke). After this, he entered Taoism and became a Taoist monk (Huang Guan Shi), propagating Taoist teachings in the regions of Jin (present-day southern Shanxi) and Fen (around the Fen River in Shanxi). He studied under the Taoist "True Person" Song Piyun, participated in the collation and publication of the Taozang (Taoist Canon) as well as the engraving of Taoist scripture plates, and concurrently oversaw the Juntian Bureau and seven other Taoist administrative bureaus. He was also appointed to the position of lecturing on Taoist doctrines.
After Song Piyun’s death, He Zhiyuan was ordered by the imperial court to engrave Taoist scripture plates at Chunyang Palace in Yongle Town, Hedong (ancient region east of the Yellow River, roughly covering southern Shanxi). He then took charge of the post of Tiju (administrator) of Chunyang Palace itself. The imperial court awarded him a purple robe (a symbol of high status in Taoism) and bestowed upon him the title "Great Master Yuanjing".
Later, he renovated Lequan Guan (Lequan Taoist Temple) in Hedong, served as Tidian (supervisor) of the Temple’s Scripture Repository, and concurrently managed affairs at Chunyang Palace. Additionally, he was ordered to supervise the Taoist followers under the Celestial Master lineage in Pingyang Circuit.
He authored Shuigu Daifu (literally "Water and Grains Replacing the Abdomen", likely a Taoist text on diet or cultivation) in seven volumes.
About the Author
Paul Peng
Paul Peng is a Zhengyi Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi — the ancestral home of the Celestial Masters' tradition. Ordained at 25 after a dream from the Celestial Master, he has practiced for 25 years under Master Zeng Guangliang. He is one of the curators of this store, which is officially authorized by Tianshi Fu. All items are consecrated at the temple by the resident priest team.
Read his full story →
